Gourmand Geets : Secret Garden

I heard about this restaurant from one of my first blogger friends (somebody with whom I have still not been out for lunch/dinner, even after being in this city for a year!). A charming restaurant that serves French cuisine, a stone’s throw from the Alliance Française de Bangalore. How could I not go there? So one sunny afternoon my friend and I decided to walk up to Secret Garden, without looking up the address. Though just a 10 minute walk from the Alliance Française, it took us 45 minutes to locate it! We walked up and down Cunningham Road twice before finally crossing over to Edward road from a commercial building. Tucked away in a cul-de-sac the restaurant is on the first floor terrace of a lovely house that is a home-stay.

The decor reminded me of the small cafés I used to frequent in Montpellier.

Terrace Cafés in Montpellier

Simple tables with clean white tablecloths, an awning to protect the customer from the shade and an abundance of green plants. They even have an avocado tree on the premises! The menu, which changes regularly and often features the fruits of the season (it’s avocados at the moment) is written on a blackboard which someone from the team places in front of the hungry customers.

Secret Garden : decor & menu

I had been told that the restaurant is run by a French lady, so you can imagine my amusement when I saw that one of the two ladies who run the place is a professor at the Alliance Française de Bangalore. A ‘veteran’ prof who speaks impeccable French (but of course!) but very Indian! 🙂

On our first visit (yes, I’ve been back several times) we had their refreshing fresh lime soda followed by chicken filet in mustard sauce with mushrooms and a lamb pot pie. Needless to say, we LOVED the food and left content but hungry for more. We were back soon and have kept going back, trying something different each time, but my favourite is still the chicken filet in mustard sauce.

Pondi Curry (left) and Chicken Filet with a spanish sauce (right).

The crunchy freshness of their salads have even inspired me to experiment with salads at home.

Salad : Lettuce, Figs, Ham and Feta Cheese. Yum!

The best part of the Secret Garden experience however is the dessert : home-made cakes and ice creams, flans topped with fresh fruits, sorbets, chocolate mousse, I’ve never been disappointed, even when the ice cream is served in a rapidly melting state because of refrigeration issues! Unfortunately I have no photos since I find it difficult to hold myself for the two minutes it takes it to take a photograph and resist digging into them!

Being an almost home-run restaurant, service can get a little slow when big groups descend on them or if they have an issue with their equipment, but when the food comes to the table, the wait is forgotten in a second! Unfortunately they are open only for lunch. So if you love al fresco restaurants and know how to sit back and enjoy your meal, then Secret Garden is the perfect place for that lazy, gourmand lunch!